Getting My MBA at 48

Hot Day in Detroit

I am sitting here in Detroit, actually Livonia at the Radisson. It is a nice quiet hotel, but I think that is just because business is slow.

The hotel lobby bar is just cool, retro sheik. They also have a great happy hour free tap beer and appetizers, a man on a budget dream.

It was a nice day, didn’t get much accomplished though, even with 29 hours there you have to sleep twice, which just cuts into everything.

But I got some good rest, and a little studying done so it was good.

Tags: books, detroit, education, flight attendant, flights, flying, life, management, mba, online university, radisson, schedule, sleep, strategy, studying, success, technology, western governors university, wgu

Sitting at the Airport in Phoenix

It has been a long weekend, waiting for the results from all my essays from the last class. I have started the next class which is about my resume, video, Power Point  presentation. It should be pretty easy then my last class, Marketing, Economics and Quantitative Analysis.

I need to sit down and make a plan of action to get this finished these classes, I also have to call Financial Aid tomorrow and see what is up with my paperwork. Get my ducks in a row.

Tomorrow they have me going to Detroit with 30 hours there so I am going to try and see a few people, some studying, and of course exercise.

Which that has been part of the changes that have happened lately, I have to get over that hump of commitment (life style change). I am hoping that muscle memory comes back quickly to get me near to back where I was years ago.

A lot of things in my life are having to go back to basics.

On a different note, I really don’t like sitting here at the airport, I would discuss about it but is better if I don’t.

Tags: books, cancelation, detroit, education, flight attendant, flying, management, mba, online university, phoenix, resume, schedule, strategy, studying, success, technology, travelers, western governors university, wgu

In Pittsburgh, with a Dilemma

I am here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were it is cold to some people, 37F chance of snow. It looks nice from the window but not sure today would be a day I wanted to play in the snow.

But back to the dilemma, I need to work on my essays for school, but I also need to pick up more hours (money), So today do I go back to San Francisco or stay in Phoenix?

San Francisco, I could get some studying done, sleep in my own bed but use up a lot of hours just commuting back and forth or Phoenix where I could get some studying done, sleep at a friends on the couch and have all those extra hours I wouldn’t be commuting for studying.

It is tough, like I have said before I feel home lost.

I know that I need to get both things accomplished school and work, and this trip though it looks good and no early morning check-ins, I have only been able to exercise and get some studying done.

I tried last night but the internet here at this hotel in Pittsburgh reminds me of the good old days of dial-up, slower than slow.

I do like Pittsburgh, I like the view out the window, but I feel Pittsburgh is fading like Detroit, because the corporations have moved out leaving the cities and people to fend for themselves.

Sad there is so much Rich American History in both places.

Time to finish getting ready and fly to Phoenix. I’ll let you know what happens.

So I opted to stay in Phoenix, I picked up a trip that reports at 5:40 a.m. in Phoenix which means getting up Thursday morning at 3:00 a.m. OUCH!!!

So flying home last night just to have to fly back this afternoon would have been hard, and long hours. Staying in Phoenix, my friends are great and even though I always sleep it not a good sleep.

But I am thankful

Tags: accounting, american history, books, commute, delays, detroit, education, flight attendant, flights, flying, mba, online university, pennsylvania, phoenix, pittsburgh, san francisco, schedule, snow, studying, success, technology, travelers, wsj

Morning Chores, Afternoon Studying

I spent the morning doing chores that needed getting done and the afternoon I have spent studying.

I was reading in the Wall Street Journal, about how Ford was in talks to sell Volvo to the largest automotive maker in China, Zhejiang Geely Holding Co. and is expected to be in talks till the beginning of 2010.

GM, as of now has totally given up on Saab, both Ford and GM have said that both Volvo and Saab have been losing money for awhile.

Now I for one really don’t get it. There had to have been something there for either car company to purchase into the Swedish car companies. Some quality they were looking at, yet since the good old boys in Detroit couldn’t and haven’t figured out how to sell quality cars like there counter parts in Germany or Japan, so they are dumping the lines, blaming poor sales and no profits.

The Big 3, for years have made cars the way they wanted, sure they marketed those car to us, but it wasn’t for the betterment of the masses instead it was for the lining of corporate bank accounts.They have been using a variation of Henry Ford’s theme “They can have any color they want as long as it was black” So we will give them what we want, not what they need.

Sure America has been the largest cash cow of excess for the automotive industry worldwide for years. Americans have been eating up the marketing campaigns, telling them to have the biggest badest, vehicle on the block. Show your status, Tell people, I am in the Upper Class, that I have 3 vehicles in my driveway that cost more a month than others make. But where has that gotten us.

For years car companies have been making billions, and where is it all. Gone. Like the lottery winner who wins the jackpot, instant millionaire only to be flat broke the next year. They haven’t learned.

I still believe in the Human Spirit, and that you can take both Volvo and Saab, combine them under one Swedish roof and make exceptional cars, ones that people want to buy, ones that are fun, stylish, fuel efficient, and in doing so make a profit for the company. Isn’t making a 1 million dollar profit every year for the life of the company better than a fluctuating profit and loss year after year? To me the first one is a better value and a better company.

But you have to have vision, and have to be in the position to put that vision into place.

There are lots of companies that completely turn around from Bankruptcy to Industry Leaders.

Apple is one of them, on the verge of Bankruptcy it borrowed $200 million from Microsoft, now look at what it has become. One of the most value companies in America, the Virgin brand is another company who has changed and become bigger and better in the process.

To many corporations cut and slash, CEO see this as a way to winning. Trimming the fat is always a good thing but vision and passion is a better bet. Most top executives know the financials, yet few know their people, the employees and the customers, and forget that those people are the number 1 and number 2 assets for a company.

In my Accounting, it shows the books must balance, straight numbers yet I see too many CEO’s use straight numbers to run their companies. Which is narrow minded thinking, because numbers like conspiracy theories can say anything you want them to say. You have to be creative, your top executives have to be creative. I also believe that is what is missing in MBA programs, classes being creative.

There are few leaders that use the vision and passion along with the numbers to grow a company.

It is late in the evening and I am still on stand-by today, the trips in open time have been crazy. They have been going in an out continuously, so many calling in sick for the Christmas Holiday, now the scheduling department is asking for Volunteer Fly.

After I get this done, back to reading my Accounting book and maybe becoming creative with scheduling to get a better trip.

Tags: apple, bankruptcy, big 3, books, cash cow, china, detroit, education, flight attendant, flying, ford, germany, gm, Henry Ford, industry leaders, japan, management, mba, strategy, studying, success, virgin, volvo, wall street journal, wsj

2 days left of November

There only today and tomorrow left of November, Wow. Time has been cruising by in this year.

Though I don’t want to slow down with my studies it is nice not to have the pressure to finish the Accounting class by December 31st. I had to order the book, to save my eyes from extreme tiredness.

I was reading the internet news sites, CNN, NYTimes, WallStreet Journal, and Business Week, though this is always news on the wire there didn’t seem much that was related to MBA’s or education.

Sitting at the for 5 hours today, may people are upset with the lack of action of our union. We were discussing the fact that our union should be made to a corporation. Not in the sense of a poorly run corporation, but have the elected officials have the knowledge and education on par with that of executive management. I know that is the only way to secure a better union, the problem is that our fellow union members choose to not participate.

A Weak house will not be able to stand.

and that is sad, that our union will never live up to its full potential to itself or its members.

I have been in leu of the recent actions of our union, started looking at other possibilities for “Career Security” As of now I have been thinking in 3 different areas, Internet/Computer companies, Airlines companies or the Automotive industry.

I am not ready to commit to paper which I am thinking because I am in the process of working out my decisions.

As to my plan with Saab, I need  figure out how to talk to the CEO’s of GM and Ford.

I know that I can make a go of it, The name would be Svensk Bil Fabrikationen Grupp or Swedish Car Manufacturing Group. I will go look here at the GM website to see if I can find an email for him to send off my ideal.

If there is anyone out there that has an ideal of how I can approach him, pass it along to me. I think I just found a way the Detroit Auto Show, other wise know as North American International Auto Show.

So I now have a cool project write up the proposal for both GM and Ford convince them to let me take control of Saab and Volvo under the new company Swedish Car Manufacturing Group. Get financial backing from the Swedish government and banks and turn the brands into a must have car.

So I have a lot of plans ahead and some sleep to get.

Tags: accounting, books, business week, cnn, detroit, detroit auto show, education, flights, flying, ford, gm, management, mba, nytimes, saab, studying, success, sweden, technology, union, university, us airways, volvo, wall street journal, wsj